|
|
Hammond Construction Project Wetland
Mitigation
San Juan County
Hammond Conservancy District, NM, 1996-99
TEC was awarded a contract by the Hammond Conservancy District in Bloomfield, NM, to develop an environmental mitigation plan for the Hammond Construction Project, a water-quality initiative by the Bureau of Reclamation to reduce salinity in the Colorado River drainage. The Bureau's Environmental Assessment with the finding of no significant impact concluded that the preferred alternative of concrete lining the District’s canal would cause the loss of wetland/riparian vegetation considered to have functional values as wildlife habitat. The District and Bureau proposed to mitigate the loss of the wetlands through in-kind replacement of wildlife habitat and enhancement of degraded riparian areas. Project-related environmental commitments also included developing a hazardous materials avoidance plan for that section of the canal that passed through a contaminated refinery.
TEC's work involved preparing a detailed mitigation plan for losses of the wetlands in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, New Mexico Environment Department, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In coordination with this interagency group, TEC identified a variety of potential mitigation sites, developed design concepts for each site, and prepared an evaluation matrix to compare the relative merits of differing plans in terms of wetland and wildlife habitat values.
The study resulted in recommended enhancements for two sites. One of these involved a 50-acre riparian area along the Pine River northwest of Navajo Lake. Enhancements consisted cottonwood planting and a series of "potholes" into the groundwater that would develop as wetlands and improve wildlife habitat. Protective measures were also implemented, including livestock fencing, access restrictions to eliminate vehicles, and a long-term interagency maintenance agreement to ensure that the area is managed as a wetland.
The other enhancement site involved a 10-acre created wetland on a private farm outside of Bloomfield, NM. A set of plans were developed for this site, detailing pond areas, water supply features, and plant materials.
With the development of the two sites, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concurred that the project satisfies its mitigation commitments under the provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.
Design of the Hammond Canal through the refinery proceeded with coordination between the owner, the EPA, the New Mexico Environment Department, and the District. TEC facilitated this process, which resulted in an agreement on hazardous materials handling responsibility and construction practices through the refinery portion of the canal.
|
